In this week's episode we talk about the government’s push to eject more immigrants for bad behaviour, and we have an interview with migration minister Johan Forssell on attracting and retaining highly skilled workers.

We also hear from Américo Fernández, an SEB economist and personal finance expert, on how foreigners in Sweden can navigate difficult times in the Swedish economy.

Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• What's in Sweden's new 'poor conduct' proposal for residence permits?
• Sweden set to make 'poor conduct' ground for revoking residence permits
• OPINION: Swedish media must get better at covering immigrant perspectives
• 'A trust breaker': Foreign tech workers campaign against new Swedish citizenship law
• INTERVIEW: 'We are working intensively to attract more high-skilled workers to Sweden'

• What's on the horizon for the Swedish economy and how will that affect internationals?
• Why the pay rise negotiated by Sweden's industrial unions matters

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In this week's episode we have an interview with an American tech worker who has launched an initiative urging the government to reconsider its plans to tighten citizenship requirements. 

Our panelists also discuss why Swedish politicians in Brussels have fought tooth and nail to retain the right for 15-year-old Swedes to drive extremely slowly in car-like contraptions on Swedish roads.

And why are the far-right Sweden Democrats floating the idea of a future partnership with the once all-powerful Social Democrats.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• ‘A trust breaker’: Foreign tech workers campaign against Swedish citizenship law
• OPINION: Swedish media must get better at covering immigrant perspectives
• Want to make Sweden more attractive, Johan Forssell? Listen to those already here

• Why do Swedish teenagers drive small and excruciatingly slow cars?

• Why are the Sweden Democrats making overtures to the Social Democrats?

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In this week's episode our panelists discuss two stories affecting work permit holders after parliament voted through a new law targeting former asylum seekers for expulsion from Sweden and Northvolt filed for bankruptcy.

We also ask if Sweden should be doing more to involve immigrants in the construction of a cultural canon that could be used for citizenship tests.

For Membership+ subscribers we find out what Americans are telling us about why they’re moving to Sweden and finally we delve into why a proposed new surveillance law has prompted messaging services WhatsApp and Signal to consider leaving Sweden.

Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and James Savage. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• 'We didn't do anything wrong': Foreign workers blindsided by Sweden's 'spårbyte' repeal
• Swedish Migration Agency warns of fast-tracked abolition of 'spårbyte' without transitional rules
• Sweden to abolish residency permit 'track changes' from April 1st

• What will happen to work permit holders at Northvolt?
• KEY FACTS: What we know so far about the Northvolt bankruptcy

• What books and art can we expect to be in Sweden's future cultural canon?
• Is the ‘arm’s length’ principle for the arts in Sweden at risk of amputation?

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In this week's episode we discuss: Northvolt’s bankruptcy, the criminal investigation into Sweden’s former national security adviser Henrik Landerholm, the latest on the defence situation for Sweden in relation to Russia and the United States, and why some commentators think Sweden’s needs its own nuclear deterrent.

For Membership+ subscribers we look at what readers are telling us about what it’s like becoming a Swedish citizen, and finally we shine a light on the work being carried out by a taskforce on talent attraction and why the government must do more to include the kind of people it’s hoping to appeal to.

Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists James Savage and Richard Orange. Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• KEY FACTS: What we know so far about the Northvolt bankruptcy
• Sweden's troubled Northvolt files for bankruptcy
• 'Too early to say' if Sweden will give foreign Northvolt staff special help

• 'We are shocked': Americans in Sweden rally in support of Ukraine

• Sweden's former national security adviser charged in classified documents scandal

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In this week’s episode we discuss the latest Swedish reaction to dramatic changes in the European security landscape. What does Sweden’s defence industry look like, and does the country have enough troops to send peacekeepers to Ukraine? 

We also have commentary from Swedish members of the European Parliament about the harsh rhetoric on immigration we’ve seen in Sweden in recent years.

For Membership+ subscribers we look at proposals for a new grading system for Swedish schools to replace a method that critics say is no longer fit for purpose, and finally we dig into reactions to the Migration Agency’s revamped website. 

Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange.   

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• How Sweden's defence industry is ramping up production
• Swedish PM 'willing to send peacekeepers to Ukraine'
• Swedish police open 'sabotage' probe over Gotland water supply damage

• Swedish migration minister in multiculturalism row with Sweden Democrat leader
• Is the government changing its rhetoric on immigration?

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

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This week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ subscribers features an interview with Bo Rothstein, co-founder of the Quality of Government Institute at Gothenburg University.

Now an emeritus professor at the university, Rothstein remains a leading researcher on social trust. 

In the interview he gives his view on why trust in government institutions – and other people – has stayed high in Sweden over the decades even as society has undergone dramatic changes. 

But he also cautions against complacency, pointing to formerly high-trust societies where trust entered into rapid decline after reaching a tipping point from which it became hard to return. 

The Local's Nordic editor Richard Orange spoke to Bo Rothstein about what's sometimes referred to as the 'Nordic gold' – and what Sweden can do ensure it keeps its value.

READ ALSO:

• 'Sweden has changed fundamentally but the level of trust is the same' 
• Which companies do Swedes trust the most? 
• OPINION: To protect Sweden’s democracy, trust is not enough 

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In this week's episode we look at what makes Sweden such a trusting society.

We also discuss Muharrem Demirok's decision to step down as Centre Party leader and what it means for the future of a party that's currently siding with the left but has previously allied itself with the right.

And why has a supreme court ruling on European data protection drawn howls of protest from Swedish publishers?

Host Richard Orange is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and James Savage. 

• 'Sweden has changed fundamentally but the level of trust is the same'
• Which companies do Swedes trust the most?

• Swedish Centre Party leader Muharrem Demirok to step down
• Could a new Centre Party leader determine Sweden's next PM?

Get Membership+ to listen to all The Local's podcasts

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

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In this week's episode we talk about how Sweden is reacting to the United States’ dramatic foreign policy pivot on Europe. What are Swedish politicians saying after US Vice President JD Vance kickstarted a week of new lows in US-Europe relations?  

We also look at the planned closure of an international upper-level high school in Stockholm and speak to Abdirahim Mohammed, the student who launched a petition calling for action to save the school.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• 'Ice in the stomach': Swedish politicians react to Trump's new world order
• Will Europe match words with actions after being sidelined by Trump?
• Swedish word of the day: is i magen

• IES to close Stockholm flagship school leaving 159 students stranded
• What's it like to work as a foreign teacher at Swedish free school chain IES?

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

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Read more about Membership+ in our help centre.

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In this week's episode: Reader reactions to Örebro mass murder, and why a gun law debate sparked fury among Sweden Democrats. For Membership+ subscribers: What would make the government rethink a plan to apply citizenship law changes retroactively to current applicants? And why the King revealed the wrong name for a new Swedish princess.

Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Emma Löfgren and James Savage. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• OPINION: It's down to Sweden's lawmakers to help immigrants feel less vulnerable
• FULL LIST: What we know of the ten victims of the Örebro campus attack
• Did the prime minister find his inner statesman?
• Sweden to allow schoolbag searches after mass shooting

• Top Sweden Democrat steps down after party pushes ahead with AR-15 ban
• Sweden to limit access to semi-automatic weapons after mass shooting

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

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We're releasing the podcast earlier than usual this week to bring you up to date information on this week's horrific shooting in Örebro that left eleven people dead. 

We also look at why Sweden’s government wants to make the new citizenship rules retroactive and how applicants are reacting.

In the longer version for Membership+ subscribers we give you the lowdown on sportlov, the annual Swedish school break that sees families leave the cities en masse for the northern slopes and, finally, we dig into why the government is planning to give foreign experts bigger tax cuts.

Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• 'Multiple nationalities' among victims in Swedish mass shooting: police
• What we know so far about the Örebro campus attack

• Swedish government to make new citizenship rules retroactive
• UPDATED: Readers' questions answered on Sweden's citizenship reforms

Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.

Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+

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